Tuesday and Wednesday involved two days of meetings for the Big Ten in Chicago. The first day was for media members only, and included a press conference with a Q&A format for each coach.
On Wednesday morning, individual players met with media members starting at 8 a.m. At 10:00 a.m. they were at a different table for each of the 11 teams, signing autographs. From approximately 11:30 until 1:30, a luncheon for close to 2,000 people was held in the Hyatt Regency Chicago's Grand Ballroom.
Each coach spoke briefly during the luncheon, which was hosted by Mark Jones from ABC/ESPN Sports. The mood of the speeches was understandably somber, as every coach expressed his condolences to the Northwestern community and the family of Randy Walker (his wife and son were in attendance), who had a fatal heart attack on June 29th.
:nw2:NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS
Wednesday's luncheon was open to the public. Mark Jones made some opening remarks, and then introduced Pat Fitzgerald, who in early July was named to succeed Randy Walker. Fitzgerald, age 31, replaced 36-year old Bret Bielema of Wisconsin as the youngest Division 1-A head coach in the country. Fitzgerald was a two-time Bednarik Award winner (national defensive player of the year) for Northwestern in the mid-'90s, including their Rose Bowl team.
The coach commemorated Randy Walker, and then told the audience they were about to see the video tribute that the Walker family made in Randy's honor, which was shown last month at his memorial service in Evanston. The footage included some triumphs on the football field, but also included personal moments from vacations and Walker family celebrations. Sympathies were later expressed by each of the speakers, but those that knew him best stated that Coach Walker would now be using one of his favorite phrases: "Let's move on."
The Wildcats finished in a 4-way tie for third in the Big Ten standings last year, with a 5-3 mark in conference play. They must replace all-conference quarterback Brent Basanez, but return a solid offensive line and Big Ten Freshman of the year Tyrell Sutton. The defense will be without linebacker Tim McGarigle, who set the NCAA record with 545 career tackles.
The schedule does Northwestern no favors this year. The conference road games are at Penn State, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Iowa; and the teams they miss are Minnesota and Indiana. Their season starts on August 31st, in what will surely be an emotional first game at Miami (OH), where Randy Walker played fullback and later was the head coach before moving on to Evanston.
The players representing the Wildcats were three seniors: safety Bryan Heinz, wide receiver Shaun Herbert, and linebacker Nick Roach.
:minn2: MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS
Next up was Glen Mason, who returns for his 10th year at Minnesota, and the team has been to a bowl game 6 of the last 7 years. Minnesota had two 1,000-yard rushers in 2005, becoming the only Division 1-A football team to ever accomplish that in three straight seasons. But the Golden Gophers need to replace both backs Laurence Maroney (now with the Partiots) and Gary Russell (academically ineligible), as well as center Greg Eslinger, who won the Rimington and Outland Trophies last year.
Minnesota is one of 2 Big Ten teams (Northwestern is the other) that will open the season with a Thursday night game in the state of Ohio, taking on the Kent State Golden Flashes in Canton on August 31st. Their rushing defense, which struggled last year, gets an early test with a September 9th trip to play California. Minnesota is looking for it's first conference title since 1967. Mason also mentioned that the Gophers are looking forward the completion of TCF Bank Stadium, a new on-campus facility scheduled to open in time for the 2009 football season.
Player representatives for the Gophers were senior QB Bryan Cupito and senior tight end Matt Spaeth, who was voted first team all Big Ten in 2005.
:ill2: ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI
Mark Jones introduced Ron Zook, known as a tireless recruiter, by stating that Zook once asked if he could get a waterproof cell phone, so he could talk to recruits while in the shower. Coach Zook only has 1 year of experience in his current position at Illinois. After starting off with a pair of wins in 2005, the Illini were unable to win another game, going winless in conference play while averaging less than 12 points in those contests. Zook is trying to turn around a program that won the conference with a 10-win Sugar Bowl season in 2001, but has only won a total of 6 games over the past three years.
Illinois returns 9 or 10 starters on each side of the ball, but the offense didn't score a lot of points, and the defense was last in the nation against the run. Vince Okruch is the new defensive coordinator, and Mike Locksley and former Akron coordinator Jim Pry will try to improve the offense. Coach Zook recalled a conversation he had about Memorial Stadium, which is currently undergoing a $100 million renovation. When someone apologized for it being 'a lot of dirt and a big mess', Zook replied 'Well, so's our football team."
The Fighting Illini's representatives were senior running back Pierre Thomas, junior linebacker J Leman, and the only player to speak at the luncheon, senior running E.B. Halsey. He talked about how grateful he was for the opportunity to be playing Big Ten football. He recounted his childhood in Elizabeth, New Jersey; where many kids get involved with gangs and drugs. He said that his father was a heroin addict who died of AIDS at age 35. He thanked his mother and his coaches for helping him make the journey to playing football in the Big Ten. Halsey received a standing ovation from the audience at the end of his speech.
:ind2: INDIANA HOOSIERS
The other second-year coach was Terry Hoeppner of Indiana, who underwent surgery in late December to have a tumor removed from his right temple, and has made a full recovery. His first season in the conference resulted in a 4-7 overall record. He came to the Big Ten from Miami of Ohio, as did Randy Walker; and said "If not for Coach Walker, I wouldn't be coaching at Indiana right now".
The Hoosiers have had 11 consecutive losing seasons, and have not won a conference title since 1967. They had some success throwing to 6-7 James Hardy, who caught 10 touchdowns as a freshman last year while garnering second team all Big Ten honors.
Indiana's player representatives were 3 seniors: wide receiver Lance Bennett, left tackle Justin Frye, and free safety Will Meyers.
:purdue2: PURDUE BOILERMAKERS
Joe Tiller is starting his 10th season as the coach at Purdue. His first 8 years each produced a bowl game, accounting for the majority of the Boilermakers 13 appearances all-time. Last year's squad didn't meet expectations, finishing 5-6 despite ending the year with three straight victories.
Although this year's conference schedule once again excludes Ohio State and Michigan, this team is not expected to challenge for the league crown. The coaching staff has 5 new assistants, including co-offensive coordinator Ed Zaunbrecher, who was on Ron Zook's staff at Florida and at Illinois.
Coach Tiller said that some people look forward to him telling a joke each year. "But this year", he said, "I don't have a joke. Our team was bad enough last year that nothing seemed funny. Maybe the team's play was a joke." Later, he said that he is "frequently asked about the Notre Dame game." He said "I think we've played Notre Dame 52 straight seasons. I hope we play them for another 52; but if we do, I won't be the coach. Maybe it'll be Joe Paterno." Tiller then expressed concern about returning to his seat, which was next to JoePa's.
Purdue's player representatives were: Dorien Bryant, a junior who was the leading Big Ten receiver in conference games last year; sophomore QB Curtis Painter, and senior defensive end Anthony Spencer.
:iowa2: IOWA HAWKEYES
Iowa's Kirk Ferentz has improved the Hawkeyes considerably since his opening mark of 1-10 in 1999. Last year's 7-5 mark was a disappointment, following 3 consecutive 10-win seasons (out of 6 for the program all-time), which had each resulted in a #8 final ranking nationally. The 2002 and 2004 seasons each also produced a conference co-championship. Ferentz mentioned that he first came to the kickoff meetings in 1999, the same year that Randy Walker entered the conference. He referenced one of the football clips from the earlier video, which showed Northwestern QB Zak Kustok scoring on a 4th and 2 play with 4 seconds left in the game, giving the Wildcats a 23-21 win in the first Big Ten season for both coaches.
It may surprise many that Albert Young was the leading rusher in the Big Ten for conference games only last season. On the defensive side, Iowa returns a young but experienced front four, but must replace linebackers Chad Greenway and Abdul Hodge.
Representing the Hawkeyes were three seniors: offensive guard Mike Elgin, free safety Marcus Paschal, and QB Drew Tate, who was first-team all Big Ten as a sophomore, but must adjust to losing his top two receivers from last year.
:psu2: PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS
Mark Jones then introduced Penn State's Joe Paterno, and said that Paterno used to enjoy playing handball, but had to give it up when he switched from bifocals to trifocals. JoePa, at age 79, is entering his 41st season as the head man for the Nittany Lions. The comments of Paterno being too old for the job subsided last year, as his team claimed a Big Ten co-championship and he was voted national coach of the year for a record 5th time by the AFCA. The team finished an 11-1 campaign with a triple-overtime victory over Bobby Bowden's Florida State squad in the Orange Bowl's "Battle for the Aged". That marked Paterno's 354th victory at Penn State, leaving him 5 behind Bowden's all-time record for major college coaches.
JoePa first let Boilermaker fans know, in no uncertain terms, that despite what Joe Tiller had said earlier, there was no way he would ever become the coach at Purdue. At the end of his remarks, he said: "Our speeches are limited to a specific time - we're all only supposed to talk for exactly 3 minutes. Lloyd Carr will soon follow me to this podium, please let him know he only gets 3 minutes, NOT 3:02!" The roar from the crowd indicated that most recalled the Henne to Manningham TD pass in Ann Arbor last year; on a play that started with 1 second on the clock, about 30 seconds after Carr came onto the field to complain to the referees, who responded by placing 2 more seconds back onto the game clock.
The Nittany Lions need to replace quarterback Michael Robinson, who won the Silver Football as the Conference MVP last year. Only 4 starters return on each side of the ball, including both receivers and all 3 linebackers. The all-new secondary figures to be tested early with a September 9th visit to Notre Dame and a September 23rd trip to Columbus.
Penn State seniors Levi Brown and Paul Posluszny were the player representatives at the meetings. Brown was a first-team all-conference offensive tackle last year. Posluszny, a linebacker who won both the Butkus and Bednarik national awards, injured his knee in the Orange Bowl, chose not to have surgery, and recently said that he'll be 100% ready for fall practice. He was recently selected as the preseason Big Ten defensive player of the year.
:bigten2:
Emcee Mark Jones then stated that he was inserting Big Ten Commisioner Jim Delany at this point, in order to put some separation between coaches Paterno and Carr. Commisioner Delany had the crowd thank Wayne Duke, whom he called 'Commisioner Emeritus', for initiating these Conference Kickoff Luncheons in 1971.
:osu2: OHIO STATE BUCKEYES
Jim Tressel will be guiding Ohio State for the sixth time in 2006. Including the 2002 National Championship, the Buckeyes have finished 3 of the last 4 seasons ranked in the top 4 nationally. They are also the only team to win 4 BCS bowls since that system began in 1998.
Coach Tressel talked about the difficult situations of this off-season. He expressed his sympathy to the Walker family, and mentioned that he had a player (Tyson Gentry) suffer a serious neck injury during spring practice, although he is showing progress in his recovery. He stated that Buckeye assistant Jim Bollman underwent succesful bypass surgery, and that assistant Joe Daniels was recently dignosed with cancer.
The Buckeye offense returns 8 starters from a group that performed well in the second half of 2005. But to challenge for the national title, the young defense (only 2 starters return) must come together quickly. The month of September includes road trips to Texas and Iowa.
Ohio State's player representatives were: senior center Doug Datish, who played tackle last year; senior Quinn Pitcock, who was a second team all Big Ten defensive tackle in 2005; and senior QB Troy Smith, who was recently selected as the preseason Big Ten offensive player of the year.
:scum2: MICHIGAN WOLVERINES
Lloyd Carr's 11 years at Michigan include 5 Big Ten titles, three more than any other current football coach in the conference. The Wolverines will be trying to bounce back from their first 5-loss season since 1984, while extending their streak of 31 straight seasons with a bowl game (the all-time mark is Nebraska's 35, but that streak ended in 2004). Carr replaced both his coordinators this offseason, with Ron English now leading the defense and Mike DeBord handling the offensive duties.
Lloyd's opening remark was "To Hell with you, Joe!", but his later comments were gracious and indicated it was just good-natured kidding.
Michigan's representatives were junior running back Mike Hart, and seniors Jake Long and LaMarr Woodley. Hart rushed for 1455 yards as a freshman, but injuries limited him to 662 yards on the ground in 2005. Long missed most of last season, but was a second team All-Conference selection in 2004 at offensive tackle, while Woodley earned the same honor that year at defensive end.
:wisc2: WISCONSIN BADGERS
Bret Bielema will begin his stint as head coach for Wisconsin this fall, although he was named by Athletic Director (and former coach) Barry Alvarez as the successor prior to last season, so he was able to transition into the job. Alvarez is a difficult act to follow in Madison, as his 16 years included 8 of the 9 all-time bowl victories for the program, including 3 Rose Bowl wins.
The Badgers are coming off a 10-3 season that ended with a bowl win over a solid Auburn team, but expectations for this year should be tempered by the fact that the offense only returns two starters. QB John Stocco set team records for passing yards and passing TD's last year, but the only other returning starter is tackle Joe Thomas, who is returning from a torn ACL in the bowl game.
Wisconsin has gone to a bowl game in 9 of the last 10 seasons, and their last Big Ten title was in 1999.
Wisconsin's player representatives were three seniors: QB John Stocco, offensive tackle Joe Thomas, and linebacker Mark Zalewski.
:msu2: MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS
John L. Smith starts his 4th season at Michigan State with an 18-18 mark as their head coach. The Spartans are looking for more consistency; after starting 2005 with a 4-0 mark and averaging 49 points in those games, the rest of the season yielded only a win over Indiana. The team has not gone to a bowl the last two years, and last won a conference title in 1990.
Smith stated that his team would have fun throwing the ball around on offense, and would be very competitive if the defense comes together and "if we can kick some field goals!" The Spartans were only 5 of 16 on FG attempts last season.
The Spartans should be potent on offense, with dual-threat Drew Stanton at quarterback, and Javon Ringer, who gained 6.7 yards per rush as a freshman, and says he's now free from an injury that limited him last year. Back-to-back games in October at Michigan and home to Ohio State could make or break a team that has had difficulty maintaining momentum in recent years.
Michigan State's representatives are three seniors: offensive guard Kyle Cook, linebacker David Herron, and QB Drew Stanton.
At the end of the luncheon some door prizes were awarded (United Airlines tickets, a Rose Bowl hotel/ticket package, and 6 footballs, one for each of the college QB's attending). Each person winning a football simply stood up at their table, and had one of the QB's throw them the ball across the ballroom. Some of the throws were easily over 40 yards, but most of them were right on the money and caught by the audience members.
Let the football season begin!
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On Wednesday morning, individual players met with media members starting at 8 a.m. At 10:00 a.m. they were at a different table for each of the 11 teams, signing autographs. From approximately 11:30 until 1:30, a luncheon for close to 2,000 people was held in the Hyatt Regency Chicago's Grand Ballroom.
Each coach spoke briefly during the luncheon, which was hosted by Mark Jones from ABC/ESPN Sports. The mood of the speeches was understandably somber, as every coach expressed his condolences to the Northwestern community and the family of Randy Walker (his wife and son were in attendance), who had a fatal heart attack on June 29th.
:nw2:NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS
Wednesday's luncheon was open to the public. Mark Jones made some opening remarks, and then introduced Pat Fitzgerald, who in early July was named to succeed Randy Walker. Fitzgerald, age 31, replaced 36-year old Bret Bielema of Wisconsin as the youngest Division 1-A head coach in the country. Fitzgerald was a two-time Bednarik Award winner (national defensive player of the year) for Northwestern in the mid-'90s, including their Rose Bowl team.
The coach commemorated Randy Walker, and then told the audience they were about to see the video tribute that the Walker family made in Randy's honor, which was shown last month at his memorial service in Evanston. The footage included some triumphs on the football field, but also included personal moments from vacations and Walker family celebrations. Sympathies were later expressed by each of the speakers, but those that knew him best stated that Coach Walker would now be using one of his favorite phrases: "Let's move on."
The Wildcats finished in a 4-way tie for third in the Big Ten standings last year, with a 5-3 mark in conference play. They must replace all-conference quarterback Brent Basanez, but return a solid offensive line and Big Ten Freshman of the year Tyrell Sutton. The defense will be without linebacker Tim McGarigle, who set the NCAA record with 545 career tackles.
The schedule does Northwestern no favors this year. The conference road games are at Penn State, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Iowa; and the teams they miss are Minnesota and Indiana. Their season starts on August 31st, in what will surely be an emotional first game at Miami (OH), where Randy Walker played fullback and later was the head coach before moving on to Evanston.
The players representing the Wildcats were three seniors: safety Bryan Heinz, wide receiver Shaun Herbert, and linebacker Nick Roach.
:minn2: MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS
Next up was Glen Mason, who returns for his 10th year at Minnesota, and the team has been to a bowl game 6 of the last 7 years. Minnesota had two 1,000-yard rushers in 2005, becoming the only Division 1-A football team to ever accomplish that in three straight seasons. But the Golden Gophers need to replace both backs Laurence Maroney (now with the Partiots) and Gary Russell (academically ineligible), as well as center Greg Eslinger, who won the Rimington and Outland Trophies last year.
Minnesota is one of 2 Big Ten teams (Northwestern is the other) that will open the season with a Thursday night game in the state of Ohio, taking on the Kent State Golden Flashes in Canton on August 31st. Their rushing defense, which struggled last year, gets an early test with a September 9th trip to play California. Minnesota is looking for it's first conference title since 1967. Mason also mentioned that the Gophers are looking forward the completion of TCF Bank Stadium, a new on-campus facility scheduled to open in time for the 2009 football season.
Player representatives for the Gophers were senior QB Bryan Cupito and senior tight end Matt Spaeth, who was voted first team all Big Ten in 2005.
:ill2: ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI
Mark Jones introduced Ron Zook, known as a tireless recruiter, by stating that Zook once asked if he could get a waterproof cell phone, so he could talk to recruits while in the shower. Coach Zook only has 1 year of experience in his current position at Illinois. After starting off with a pair of wins in 2005, the Illini were unable to win another game, going winless in conference play while averaging less than 12 points in those contests. Zook is trying to turn around a program that won the conference with a 10-win Sugar Bowl season in 2001, but has only won a total of 6 games over the past three years.
Illinois returns 9 or 10 starters on each side of the ball, but the offense didn't score a lot of points, and the defense was last in the nation against the run. Vince Okruch is the new defensive coordinator, and Mike Locksley and former Akron coordinator Jim Pry will try to improve the offense. Coach Zook recalled a conversation he had about Memorial Stadium, which is currently undergoing a $100 million renovation. When someone apologized for it being 'a lot of dirt and a big mess', Zook replied 'Well, so's our football team."
The Fighting Illini's representatives were senior running back Pierre Thomas, junior linebacker J Leman, and the only player to speak at the luncheon, senior running E.B. Halsey. He talked about how grateful he was for the opportunity to be playing Big Ten football. He recounted his childhood in Elizabeth, New Jersey; where many kids get involved with gangs and drugs. He said that his father was a heroin addict who died of AIDS at age 35. He thanked his mother and his coaches for helping him make the journey to playing football in the Big Ten. Halsey received a standing ovation from the audience at the end of his speech.
:ind2: INDIANA HOOSIERS
The other second-year coach was Terry Hoeppner of Indiana, who underwent surgery in late December to have a tumor removed from his right temple, and has made a full recovery. His first season in the conference resulted in a 4-7 overall record. He came to the Big Ten from Miami of Ohio, as did Randy Walker; and said "If not for Coach Walker, I wouldn't be coaching at Indiana right now".
The Hoosiers have had 11 consecutive losing seasons, and have not won a conference title since 1967. They had some success throwing to 6-7 James Hardy, who caught 10 touchdowns as a freshman last year while garnering second team all Big Ten honors.
Indiana's player representatives were 3 seniors: wide receiver Lance Bennett, left tackle Justin Frye, and free safety Will Meyers.
:purdue2: PURDUE BOILERMAKERS
Joe Tiller is starting his 10th season as the coach at Purdue. His first 8 years each produced a bowl game, accounting for the majority of the Boilermakers 13 appearances all-time. Last year's squad didn't meet expectations, finishing 5-6 despite ending the year with three straight victories.
Although this year's conference schedule once again excludes Ohio State and Michigan, this team is not expected to challenge for the league crown. The coaching staff has 5 new assistants, including co-offensive coordinator Ed Zaunbrecher, who was on Ron Zook's staff at Florida and at Illinois.
Coach Tiller said that some people look forward to him telling a joke each year. "But this year", he said, "I don't have a joke. Our team was bad enough last year that nothing seemed funny. Maybe the team's play was a joke." Later, he said that he is "frequently asked about the Notre Dame game." He said "I think we've played Notre Dame 52 straight seasons. I hope we play them for another 52; but if we do, I won't be the coach. Maybe it'll be Joe Paterno." Tiller then expressed concern about returning to his seat, which was next to JoePa's.
Purdue's player representatives were: Dorien Bryant, a junior who was the leading Big Ten receiver in conference games last year; sophomore QB Curtis Painter, and senior defensive end Anthony Spencer.
:iowa2: IOWA HAWKEYES
Iowa's Kirk Ferentz has improved the Hawkeyes considerably since his opening mark of 1-10 in 1999. Last year's 7-5 mark was a disappointment, following 3 consecutive 10-win seasons (out of 6 for the program all-time), which had each resulted in a #8 final ranking nationally. The 2002 and 2004 seasons each also produced a conference co-championship. Ferentz mentioned that he first came to the kickoff meetings in 1999, the same year that Randy Walker entered the conference. He referenced one of the football clips from the earlier video, which showed Northwestern QB Zak Kustok scoring on a 4th and 2 play with 4 seconds left in the game, giving the Wildcats a 23-21 win in the first Big Ten season for both coaches.
It may surprise many that Albert Young was the leading rusher in the Big Ten for conference games only last season. On the defensive side, Iowa returns a young but experienced front four, but must replace linebackers Chad Greenway and Abdul Hodge.
Representing the Hawkeyes were three seniors: offensive guard Mike Elgin, free safety Marcus Paschal, and QB Drew Tate, who was first-team all Big Ten as a sophomore, but must adjust to losing his top two receivers from last year.
:psu2: PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS
Mark Jones then introduced Penn State's Joe Paterno, and said that Paterno used to enjoy playing handball, but had to give it up when he switched from bifocals to trifocals. JoePa, at age 79, is entering his 41st season as the head man for the Nittany Lions. The comments of Paterno being too old for the job subsided last year, as his team claimed a Big Ten co-championship and he was voted national coach of the year for a record 5th time by the AFCA. The team finished an 11-1 campaign with a triple-overtime victory over Bobby Bowden's Florida State squad in the Orange Bowl's "Battle for the Aged". That marked Paterno's 354th victory at Penn State, leaving him 5 behind Bowden's all-time record for major college coaches.
JoePa first let Boilermaker fans know, in no uncertain terms, that despite what Joe Tiller had said earlier, there was no way he would ever become the coach at Purdue. At the end of his remarks, he said: "Our speeches are limited to a specific time - we're all only supposed to talk for exactly 3 minutes. Lloyd Carr will soon follow me to this podium, please let him know he only gets 3 minutes, NOT 3:02!" The roar from the crowd indicated that most recalled the Henne to Manningham TD pass in Ann Arbor last year; on a play that started with 1 second on the clock, about 30 seconds after Carr came onto the field to complain to the referees, who responded by placing 2 more seconds back onto the game clock.
The Nittany Lions need to replace quarterback Michael Robinson, who won the Silver Football as the Conference MVP last year. Only 4 starters return on each side of the ball, including both receivers and all 3 linebackers. The all-new secondary figures to be tested early with a September 9th visit to Notre Dame and a September 23rd trip to Columbus.
Penn State seniors Levi Brown and Paul Posluszny were the player representatives at the meetings. Brown was a first-team all-conference offensive tackle last year. Posluszny, a linebacker who won both the Butkus and Bednarik national awards, injured his knee in the Orange Bowl, chose not to have surgery, and recently said that he'll be 100% ready for fall practice. He was recently selected as the preseason Big Ten defensive player of the year.
:bigten2:
Emcee Mark Jones then stated that he was inserting Big Ten Commisioner Jim Delany at this point, in order to put some separation between coaches Paterno and Carr. Commisioner Delany had the crowd thank Wayne Duke, whom he called 'Commisioner Emeritus', for initiating these Conference Kickoff Luncheons in 1971.
:osu2: OHIO STATE BUCKEYES
Jim Tressel will be guiding Ohio State for the sixth time in 2006. Including the 2002 National Championship, the Buckeyes have finished 3 of the last 4 seasons ranked in the top 4 nationally. They are also the only team to win 4 BCS bowls since that system began in 1998.
Coach Tressel talked about the difficult situations of this off-season. He expressed his sympathy to the Walker family, and mentioned that he had a player (Tyson Gentry) suffer a serious neck injury during spring practice, although he is showing progress in his recovery. He stated that Buckeye assistant Jim Bollman underwent succesful bypass surgery, and that assistant Joe Daniels was recently dignosed with cancer.
The Buckeye offense returns 8 starters from a group that performed well in the second half of 2005. But to challenge for the national title, the young defense (only 2 starters return) must come together quickly. The month of September includes road trips to Texas and Iowa.
Ohio State's player representatives were: senior center Doug Datish, who played tackle last year; senior Quinn Pitcock, who was a second team all Big Ten defensive tackle in 2005; and senior QB Troy Smith, who was recently selected as the preseason Big Ten offensive player of the year.
:scum2: MICHIGAN WOLVERINES
Lloyd Carr's 11 years at Michigan include 5 Big Ten titles, three more than any other current football coach in the conference. The Wolverines will be trying to bounce back from their first 5-loss season since 1984, while extending their streak of 31 straight seasons with a bowl game (the all-time mark is Nebraska's 35, but that streak ended in 2004). Carr replaced both his coordinators this offseason, with Ron English now leading the defense and Mike DeBord handling the offensive duties.
Lloyd's opening remark was "To Hell with you, Joe!", but his later comments were gracious and indicated it was just good-natured kidding.
Michigan's representatives were junior running back Mike Hart, and seniors Jake Long and LaMarr Woodley. Hart rushed for 1455 yards as a freshman, but injuries limited him to 662 yards on the ground in 2005. Long missed most of last season, but was a second team All-Conference selection in 2004 at offensive tackle, while Woodley earned the same honor that year at defensive end.
:wisc2: WISCONSIN BADGERS
Bret Bielema will begin his stint as head coach for Wisconsin this fall, although he was named by Athletic Director (and former coach) Barry Alvarez as the successor prior to last season, so he was able to transition into the job. Alvarez is a difficult act to follow in Madison, as his 16 years included 8 of the 9 all-time bowl victories for the program, including 3 Rose Bowl wins.
The Badgers are coming off a 10-3 season that ended with a bowl win over a solid Auburn team, but expectations for this year should be tempered by the fact that the offense only returns two starters. QB John Stocco set team records for passing yards and passing TD's last year, but the only other returning starter is tackle Joe Thomas, who is returning from a torn ACL in the bowl game.
Wisconsin has gone to a bowl game in 9 of the last 10 seasons, and their last Big Ten title was in 1999.
Wisconsin's player representatives were three seniors: QB John Stocco, offensive tackle Joe Thomas, and linebacker Mark Zalewski.
:msu2: MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS
John L. Smith starts his 4th season at Michigan State with an 18-18 mark as their head coach. The Spartans are looking for more consistency; after starting 2005 with a 4-0 mark and averaging 49 points in those games, the rest of the season yielded only a win over Indiana. The team has not gone to a bowl the last two years, and last won a conference title in 1990.
Smith stated that his team would have fun throwing the ball around on offense, and would be very competitive if the defense comes together and "if we can kick some field goals!" The Spartans were only 5 of 16 on FG attempts last season.
The Spartans should be potent on offense, with dual-threat Drew Stanton at quarterback, and Javon Ringer, who gained 6.7 yards per rush as a freshman, and says he's now free from an injury that limited him last year. Back-to-back games in October at Michigan and home to Ohio State could make or break a team that has had difficulty maintaining momentum in recent years.
Michigan State's representatives are three seniors: offensive guard Kyle Cook, linebacker David Herron, and QB Drew Stanton.
At the end of the luncheon some door prizes were awarded (United Airlines tickets, a Rose Bowl hotel/ticket package, and 6 footballs, one for each of the college QB's attending). Each person winning a football simply stood up at their table, and had one of the QB's throw them the ball across the ballroom. Some of the throws were easily over 40 yards, but most of them were right on the money and caught by the audience members.
Let the football season begin!
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